F1 2001 - Strategy Guide (Page 01)
Below are the cheat codes, hints and help for F1 2001 - Strategy Guide (Page 01).
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F1 2001 GAME GUIDE
by
Jamie Stafford/Wolf Feather
FEATHER7@IX.NETCOM.COM
Initial Version Completed: October 19, 2001
FINAL VERSION Completed: May 31, 2002
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ACCOLADE: The F1 2001 Game Guide won the FAQ of the Week
contest at GameFAQs for the week
of October 28, 2001 :-)
SPECIAL NOTE #1: This game guide is for the year 2001 F1 game
released by EA Sports, NOT the one released in the same week
(in the States) by 989 Sports. Also, I DO NOT intend to
write a guide for the 989 Sports F1 game, as I find it to be
severely lacking in many areas, and quickly returned it to
the store.
SPECIAL NOTE #2: Since the sequel game F1 2002 will
imminently be released, it is time to post a Final Version
for this guide.
GUIDE NOTE: Those interested primarily in car set-ups may
instead wish to view/print the F1 2001 Car Set-ups Guide. As
changes are made to car set-ups in the Car Set-ups Guide, the
changes will also be made in this (full) guide accordingly.
JOIN THE FEATHERGUIDES E-MAIL LIST: To be the first to know
when my new and updated guides are released, join the
FeatherGuides E-mail List. Go to for
information about the list and to subscribe for free.
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CONTENTS
Spacing and Length
Permissions
Introduction
Assumptions and Conventions
Race Order: 2001 Season
The New Physics Engine
Quick Race
Challenge Mode Tips
Grand Prix
Tire Care
General Tips
Completely Subjective Section
A Major Problem: FIA Rules
2001 Season Times
Advertisers
A1
ABN-AMRO
Agip
Air Canada
Allianz
Alpine
AMP
Aral
ARCOR
Banco Real
Bridgestone
Canon
Casino (de Montreal)
Casio
Chevrolet
D2/Mannesmann
Daimler-Chrysler
Deutsche Post/Deutsche Post World Net
EuroBusiness
Evenrudee
Firestone
France
Fuji Television/Fuji TV
FujiFilm
GPF1
Honda
HSBC
Ipiranga
Jaguar
Keimin
Magneti Marelli
Malaysia
Melbourne
MillionCard
Mobil 1
Monaco Grand Prix
Monaco
Monte Carlo Grand Hotel
NGK
Nicos
Nikon
Nokia
Orange
Panasonic
Pastor
Petronas
PIAA
Pioneer
Pony Canyon
Potenza
Qantas
Sao Paulo
SAP
Shell/Helix
Siemens
Spa-Francorchamps
Toenec
United States Grand Prix
Vodafone
Zepeter International
Parts Used in Set-ups
Suggested Set-ups
Suggested set-up for Australia (Albert Park)
Suggested set-up for Malaysia (Sepang)
Suggested set-up for Brazil (Interlagos)
Suggested set-up for San Marino (Imola)
Suggested set-up for Spain (Catalunya)
Suggested set-up for Austria (A1-Ring)
Suggested set-up for Monaco (Monaco)
Suggested set-up for Canada (Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve)
Suggested set-up for Europe (Nurburgring)
Suggested set-up for France (Nevers Magny-Cours)
Suggested set-up for Great Britain (Silverstone)
Suggested set-up for Germany (Hockenheim)
Suggested set-up for Hungary (Hungaroring)
Suggested set-up for Belgium (Spa-Francorchamps)
Suggested set-up for Italy (Monza)
Suggested set-up for the United States (Indianapolis)
Suggested set-up for Japan (Suzuka)
Grand Prix of Australia: Albert Park
Grand Prix of Malaysia: Kuala Lampur
Grand Prix of Brazil: Interlagos
Grand Prix of San Marino: Imola
Grand Prix of Spain: Catalunya
Grand Prix of Austria: A1-Ring
Grand Prix of Monaco: Monte Carlo (Temporary Street Circuit)
Grand Prix of Canada: Gilles Villeneuve
Grand Prix of Europe: Nurburgring
Grand Prix of France: Nevers Magny-Cours
Grand Prix of Great Britain: Silverstone
Grand Prix of Germany: Hockenheim
Grand Prix of Hungary: Hungaroring
Grand Prix of Belgium: Spa-Francorchamps
Grand Prix of Italy: Monza
Grand Prix of the United States: Indianapolis
Grand Prix of Japan: Suzuka
Wish List
Thanks
Wrap-up
Contact Information
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SPACING AND LENGTH
For optimum readability, this driving guide should be
viewed/printed using a monowidth font, such as Courier.
Check for font setting by making sure the numbers and letters
below line up:
1234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
This guide is EXTREMELY lengthy - this version is NEARLY 120
PAGES LONG (definitely my longest game guide to date) in the
Macintosh version of Microsoft Word 98 using single-spacing
in Courier 12 font. Therefore, it may not be a very
economical idea to print out this guide in its entirely!!!!!
Those primarily interested in just car set-ups should instead
use my F1 2001 Car Set-ups Guide, which is 'only' 29 pages in
length.
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PERMISSIONS
Permission is hereby granted for a user to download and/or
print out a copy of this driving guide for personal use.
However, due to the extreme length, printing this driving
guide may not be such a good idea.
This driving guide may only be posted on: FeatherGuides,
GameFAQs.com, f1gamers.com, Games Domain, PSXCodez.com,
Cheatcc.com, gamesover.com, Absolute-PlayStation.com,
RedCoupe, InsidePS2Games.com, CheatPlanet.com, The Cheat
Empire, a2zweblinks.com, Gameguru, cheatingplanet.com,
RobsGaming.com, neoseeker.com, ps2fantasy.com, and
vgstrategies.com. Please contact me for permission to post
elsewhere on the Internet.
Should anyone wish to translate this driving guide into other
languages, please contact me for permission(s) and provide me
with a copy when complete.
Remember: Plagiarism in ANY form is NOT tolerated!!!!!
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INTRODUCTION
F1 2001 is the latest entry in EA Sports' line of F1-based
games for (originally) the PlayStation and (now) the
PlayStation2. F1 Championship Season 2000, the game
immediately preceding F1 2001, marked EA Sports' first foray
of the series to the PS2, but F1CS2K was actually released in
two 'flavors:' PSX and PS2. F1 2001 is thus the first PS2-
only game of the series.
And what an introduction it is for the PS2-only line of the
series!!!!! The graphics and sounds are better than before,
the creativity behind the game (especially the unlockable
features) provide far more repeat gameplay, multitudes of
options have been added to customize gameplay much more than
ever before in the series, the computer-controlled drivers
REALLY dice for position (sometimes going four-wide!!!), and
the game's controls (using a standard controller) are much
more challenging than in previous incarnations of the series
without stepping beyond what can be reasonably expected of
the average gamer.
Most likely, if you play F1 2001, then you are at least a
casual fan of F1 racing, and have at least a basic knowledge
of many or all of the F1 courses currently in use. That
knowledge certainly does help when first playing F1 2001, and
vice versa - as any extensive gameplay greatly helps in
determining where the drivers are on each course when races
are televised.
The final segment of this driving guide provides information
to help you to cleanly drive each course. Even those who
know the courses fairly well and/or play the game regularly
can always use tips.
Please note that much of this information comes from the
driving guide I wrote for F1 Championship Season 2000 (the
predecessor to F1 2001), also by EA Sports. Those who have
read and/or downloaded the driving guide for F1CS2K will
already have the same basic information covered in this
driving guide. This driving guide has been modified and
expanded to reflect the many additions in F1 2001, including
the minor circuit alterations included in the game (such as
the initial chicane at Monza). Also, the Tire Care section
is modified as appropriate from my GT3: Tires Guide, also
available at FeatherGuides and at many gaming Web sites.
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ASSUMPTIONS AND CONVENTIONS
Most race circuits outside the United States name most
corners and chicanes, and even some straightaways. Where
these names are known, they will be included in parentheses
and referenced in the explanatory text. These names have
been gathered from course maps available on the courses'
official Web sites, my memory of how F1 races have been
called by American TV sportscasters (Fox Sports Net and
SpeedVision, in 1999 and 2000), and/or from the Training Mode
of F1 Championship Season 2000 (corner/segment names are
listed at the bottom of the screen). To the extent possible,
these names have been translated into English.
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RACE ORDER: 2001 SEASON
F1 2001 presents the courses in the order in which they were
presented for the 2001 Formula 1 season. This driving guide
will follow the same convention, which will be especially
useful for those playing in Championship Mode. However,
Quick Race presents the circuits in a different order, and
all but the first three must be unlocked.
F1 Race Schedule, 2001 Season:
March 4 Australia Albert Park
March 18 Malaysia Kuala Lampur
April 1 Brazil Interlagos
April 15 San Marino Imola
April 29 Spain Catalunya
May 13 Austria A1-Ring
May 27 Monaco Unnamed (Street Circuit)
June 10 Canada Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
June 24 Europe Nurburgring
July 1 France Nevers Magny-Cours
July 15 Great Britain Silverstone
July 29 Germany Hockenheim
August 19 Hungary Hungaroring
September 2 Belgium Spa-Francorchamps
September 16 Italy Monza
September 30 USA Indianapolis
October 14 Japan Suzuka
NOTE: The 2002 F1 race schedule is available at the official
FIA Web site The race schedule also
has links to the official Web sites of most of the permanent
and temporary (street) circuits hosting F1 races.
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THE NEW PHYSICS ENGINE
F1 2000 and F1 Championship Season 2000 both essentially used
the same physics engine; the physics engine for F1CS2K was
tweaked to provide more options and more realistic handling
over its predecessor, but the differences were certainly not
colossal. F1 2001 presents a brand-new physics engine which
itself renders the game more difficult than any of the
earlier incarnations in the series. Anyone trying to drive
in F1 2001 the same way as in earlier versions of the game
will find the corner workers scraping the car off the
barriers. However, there are a few survivability tips for
the new physics engine:
1.) For F1's famous standing starts, try to time the use of
the accelerator with the exact millisecond the lights go out.
This is extremely important for both reducing wheelspin and
making several excellent passes at the beginning of a race,
especially important for those at the back of the grid.
Also, the gear ratio setting will play a significant role in
just how fast you can come up to speed; a short gear ratio
will provide quick acceleration and can result in instantly
gaining several positions, whereas a long gear ratio produces
the slowest acceleration and will likely result in losing
several race positions before coming up to full speed.
2.) Braking is always important in racing. However, the new
physics engine demands SMOOTH braking (especially if using
Simulation handling), which often means braking rather early
compared to prior versions of the game. Slamming on the
brakes often results in wheel lock and/or car spin, which can
induce flat-spotting on the tires and tremendously increases
the risk of collision - especially with the Tire Wear option
activated.
3.) Similarly, even after the standing starts, the use of the
accelerator is much more important in F1 2001 than in
previous versions of the game. By exercising extreme care
with both the brakes and the accelerator, anyone can rapidly
learn to essentially glide through corners at a rather quick
speed. A pristine racing line is also important in these
situations, as the changes in G-force and velocity need to be
constantly kept in check if you want to remain on the
official course.
4.) As noted above, the new physics engine also demands a
very clean racing line. This is especially important if
attempting to clear tight chicanes at high speed.
5.) I personally find it sometimes easier to take tight
corners WITHOUT braking. In these cases, simply let off the
accelerator and coast toward and through the corner until the
appropriate acceleration point, usually at or just beyond the
apex. One very good place to attempt this strategy is at the
initial corners at Kuala Lampur (Malaysia), although this
tactic can have rather dire consequences at the start of a
race with all the cars bunched together.
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QUICK RACE
One of the more interesting additions to F1 2001 over
previous incarnations of the series is the need to acquire
points to unlock new Quick Race circuits. Initially, only
Silverstone, Hockenheim, and Monza are available. By placing
sixth or better in races at these circuits, you can earn
points which will accumulate, allowing you to eventually open
more circuits in Quick Race Mode.
Points are distributed in accordance with FIA regulations:
First Place: 10 points
Second Place: 6 points
Third Place: 4 points
Fourth Place: 3 points
Fifth Place: 2 points
Sixth Place: 1 point
Others: 0 points
The final circuit in Quick Race Mode - Monaco - can only be
opened by accumulating 100 points. This means a minimum of
ten WINS can unlock ALL Quick Race circuits. If your goal is
to unlock all Quick Race circuits as quickly as possible, you
may wish to simply keep playing one or two circuits
repeatedly if you are a 'natural' at those circuits and can
win consistently. Also, to unlock as many circuits as
quickly as possible, you MUST stay out on the circuit for the
entire race (if it is a short race, 4 or 8 laps), as you will
not have any time to change to/from rain tires.
Of the three initially-available courses, Silverstone is the
most technical, while Hockenheim and Monza are both fast,
high-speed circuits tempered with just a few tight corners.
For those new to F1 racing games, I suggest beginning with
the Monza circuit, followed by Hockenheim and Silverstone, in
that order.
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CHALLENGE MODE TIPS
General: To truly learn how to handle an F1 car, Challenge
Mode is perhaps the best place for beginners to start with F1
2001. No matter how much F1 racing experience you might have
from other games (within or without the EA Sports F1 series),
it is always a good idea to watch the Demonstration video
before attempting each challenge for the first time;
subsequent viewings may also be necessary. In general,
leaving the circuit is automatic disqualification in
Challenge Mode; unfortunately, the CPU is not very consistent
in determining when you are 'off the course,' as I have both
been in the grass and not disqualified, and 'on' the circuit
when the CPU has decided that I should be disqualified.
The Basics
Challenge 1.1 (The Start): Try to time the use of the
accelerator with the exact millisecond the timer hits zero
(the starting lights are not used for this challenge).
Wheelspin can cause your car to inadvertently change its
initial trajectory angle, so if you do get wheelspin on
the start, be prepared to countersteer immediately to keep
to the pavement.
Challenge 1.2 (Braking): Make use of stationary objects
around the circuit to judge the timing of your braking.
This is a good, general tip for every racing game you ever
play.
Challenge 1.3 (Cornering): This challenge takes place in
the Lesmo corners (Turns 7 and 8) at Monza. Beware the
barrier on the inside of each corner, and take care not to
oversteer due to excessive speed.
Challenge 1.4 (Chicane): Fortunately, F1 2001 does not
have nearly as much of an uphill approach to the Bus-stop
Chicane (Spa-Francorchamps) as the real circuit. Still,
you need to slow enough to not overshoot the exit of the
initial part of the Bus-stop. For the latter portion,
beware the barrier on the right on exit.
Challenge 1.5 (Hairpins): The hairpin here is a blind
right-hand corner, so your braking zone is actually much
earlier than you might otherwise anticipate. Also, do not
be fooled by the extension of road continuing straight
ahead along the approach trajectory to the hairpin.
Wet Conditions
Challenge 1.1 (Start/Stop): Make use of stationary objects
around the circuit to judge the timing of your braking.
This is a good, general tip for every racing game you ever
play. This challenge takes place on the oval portion of
the U.S. Grand Prix circuit at Indianapolis.
Challenge 1.2 (Cornering): Be extremely gentle with the
throttle here in the second sector at Kuala Lampur. If
you are attempting to complete all the challenge events in
order, this will certainly be the most difficult and
frustrating thus far.
Challenge 1.3 (Chicane): This is the start of a lap at
Interlagos (Brazil) with its famous and deadly blind
steep-downhill left-hand Turn 1. Make use of stationary
objects around the circuit to judge the timing of your
braking. This is a good, general tip for every racing
game you ever play.
Challenge 2.1 (Dry Tires, Wet Road): While even a moderate
F1 driver will NEVER be caught out on a wet circuit with
dry tires, you need to know how to use the throttle to
accelerate AND brake, especially through the Stadium
section at Hockenheim.
Pit Stops
Challenge 1.1 (Braking/Empty Tank): If you can survive the
chicane at the top of the rise just beyond the starting
point, you should do well here, especially if you refrain
from braking.
Challenge 1.2 (Braking/Full Tank): Similar strategy to
Braking/Empty Tank.
Challenge 2.1 (Interactive Pit): This challenge begins
literally several meters from the entry to the next-to
last corner at Hungaroring, which means that your most
difficult task will actually be navigating this tight
left-hand J-turn while still carrying significant speed.
If you can clear this turn and not oversteer yourself into
the left-side barrier, simply follow all the on-screen
prompts within several milliseconds of their appearance to
even have a CHANCE of successfully completing this
challenge.
Challenge 3.1 (Tire Wear/French Tires): Beware the final
corners of this challenge, where it is a little more
difficult to see the pavement turning ahead.
Challenge 3.2 (Tire Wear/Worn Tires): Too much braking
will result in heading off-circuit.
Race Craft
Challenge 1.1 (Manual Transmission): Listen closely to the
engine to determine when to upshift.
Challenge 2.1 (Damage): All that matters is beating the
pre-set time, not keeping the car off the barriers (which
is nearly impossible at Monaco even when the car is NOT
damaged in any way).
Challenge 3.1 (Oil Leaks): Try not to lean on the
accelerator too much. Coasting through corners is a good
idea.
Challenge 4.1 (Penalties): Very similar to entering Pit
Lane in Interactive Pit (PIT STOPS, Challenge 2.1).
Challenge 4.2 (Flags): You must be EXTREMELY attentive
here, as some waving flags are difficult to see,
especially when shown by corner workers standing directly
in front of a grandstand along the circuit.
Track Experience
This section consists of seventeen challenges - one for
each circuit of the 2001 F1 season, in season order. For
each circuit, the challenge is to complete a lap at or
better than the posted time. Please see the detailed
driving instructions for each circuit, listed later in
this guide, for helpful information in successfully
driving each of these circuits.
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GRAND PRIX
Grand Prix offers several racing possibilities, but all pay
out points in accordance with FIA rules:
First Place: 10 points
Second Place: 6 points
Third Place: 4 points
Fourth Place: 3 points
Fifth Place: 2 points
Sixth Place: 1 point
Others: 0 points
These points are given to both the cars' drivers AND the
cars' teams (constructors) for the Drivers Championship and
Constructors Championship; in effect, the points do 'double
duty.' Those concerned about winning both championships
should elect to play as a driver from a team with a strong
track record (pardon the pun) for winning: McLaren, Ferrari,
etc. However, in my experiences thus far with F1 2001, this
does not often hold true; for example, playing as Michael
Schumacher and doing really well often results in Rubens
Barichello spending most of the race well out of the Top Ten,
although he does occasionally run within the points-paying
positions (usually in fifth or sixth place).
Single Grand Prix allows the player to engage in a full Grand
Prix weekend, from Practice to Qualifying to Warm-up to Race.
One or more of these sessions can be skipped, allowing the
player the possibility of starting immediately with Race.
However, those who do not attempt to qualify will be
immediately placed at the back of the starting grid, which
can present its own challenges - especially in a short (4- or
8-lap) race.
Teammate Challenge has really only one rule: You MUST finish
each race ahead of your teammate. Although winning each race
is certainly a nice and perhaps lofty goal, that is not the
actual challenge in these races. Playing with damage, flags,
etc., all turned off will give you a bit of an advantage,
allowing you to shortcut corners without penalty, bump other
cars out of your way without receiving race-ending damage
yourself, etc. Teammate Challenge takes place on the 2001 F1
circuits, presented in season order (as if in Full
Championship mode). There are eleven teams in F1 2001, so
Teammate Challenge can be completed within the first eleven
races of the season. Unfortunately, the player is not given
the option of choosing a driver within each team, which would
be a nice addition to Teammate Challenge.
Custom Championship allows players to create their own F1
season by selecting two or more F1 circuits in any order.
Want to start with the 'easy,' high-speed circuits
(Hockenheim, Monza) and end with the difficult, technical
circuits (Monaco, Suzuka)? Want to have a season in reverse
of the 2001 order (Suzuka, Indianapolis, Monza, Spa-
Francorchamps, etc.)? This is the place to use one's
creativity!!!
Full Championship follows the 2001 F1 season in order. As in
Single Grand Prix, each venue includes Practice, Qualifying,
Warm-up, and Race. One or more sessions can be skipped,
allowing the player to start immediately with Race. However,
those who do not attempt to qualify will be immediately
placed at the back of the starting grid, which can present
its own challenges - especially in a short (4- or 8-lap)
race.
Domination Grand Prix has just one rule: Win EVERY race of
the season. The easiest way to accomplish this feat is to
use Normal Handling on Easy in dry weather with no tire wear
with FIA Rules off. The fastest way to accomplish this is to
use 4-lap races without qualifying. However, Domination must
be unlocked, which is where a GameShark2 can come in quite
handy for those who really want to get to it as soon as
possible.
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TIRE CARE
At the beginning of a race and immediately after a Pit Stop,
the tires are brand new ('stickers') and need to be brought
up to temperature as quickly as possible so that they can
provide the best possible grip. During this period, sharp
turns or extremely-fast cornering will almost certainly cause
the car to slide, and perhaps even spin. However, slides and
spins will bring the tires up to optimum temperature even
faster, so you may wish to purposely induce slides when
entering corners, but only with extreme caution, as the
already-thin line between having control of the car and
losing control of the car will be at least halved until the
tires come up to optimum temperature.
The longer you run on the same set of tires, the more you
need to take better care of your tires. This is especially
important if you have had one or more off-course excursions.
You may experience slides when cornering.
If you have several offs with the same set of tires and find
yourself sliding around the circuit a lot more than usual,
you definitely need to return to Pit Lane for a new set of
tires. Essentially, you are driving on pure ice, and the
only way to 'reliably' get around the circuit is to bounce
off the rails - which is extremely difficult to do
'correctly' to keep yourself pointed forward.
One of the best ways to reduce the durability of the tires is
to corner at high speeds. The manual for Gran Turismo 3
gives an excellent, detailed description of what occurs with
the tires when cornering. In short, cornering at high speeds
causes a high percentage of the tire to be used for speed,
and a low percentage to be used for the actual cornering. To
combat this and thus extend the durability of the tires, try
to brake in a STRAIGHT line before reaching a turn, thus
reducing overall speed and providing a lower percentage of
the tires to be used for speed, and a greater percentage used
for cornering.
Note that if the percentage of the tires used for speed is
too high compared to the percentage used for cornering, the
car will slide and/or spin.
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GENERAL TIPS
A general tip for ALL racing games is to successfully
complete ALL the license tests in any game of the Gran
Turismo series. This is a great way to learn how to handle
cars of all drivetrain formats and horsepower ratings in a
wide variety of situations - starting and stopping, J-turns,
right-angle corners, chicanes, blind turns, wet racing
conditions, etc. This will all be very handy for virtually
ANY racing/driving game you ever play, and the Gran Turismo
games are also extremely good to have in your PSX/PS2
collection (especially GT3).
The most important tip for those who have played the previous
games in EA Sports' F1 series is to mentally throw out
everything you learned from the other games in terms of
handling and course configurations. The physics engine of
this game is so incredibly different from previous
incarnations of the series that using the exact same driving
style is a great way to find yourself plowing into an
immovable barrier (or another car) at top speed. While the
circuit configurations are in essence the same, the details
(of both the circuit itself and surrounding objects, such as
hills and sand traps) have changed at most venues, as well as
corner corner/chicane configurations.
When first playing F1 2001 (irrespective of whether or not
you have played the preceding games in the series), play with
flags, damage, etc., set to off, and with weather set to dry;
also, use Normal Handling. This will give you the best
possible (and most forgiving) conditions for learning how to
handle the cars in F1 2001. As you progress with the game,
add weather, damage, Simulation handling, etc.
Because of the new physics engine, the use of the accelerator
becomes much more of an issue in F1 2001 than in earlier
games of the series. In fact, I find that using the brakes
is sometimes counterproductive, while cautious regulation of
the accelerator is often a better choice.
F1's standing starts can either give you a great advantage,
or put you at the back of the pack. To reduce or eliminate
wheelspin from a standing start, try to time the use of the
accelerator with the exact millisecond the lights go out. If
you use the accelerator too soon, you WILL have wheelspin,
which can cause flat-spotting in the rear tires and can even
cause your car to go askew so that it points in a trajectory
taking you directly OFF the circuit (or into a barrier).
Also related to the standing starts, if you are deep in the
pack, the car directly in front of you is likely to produce A
LOT of smoke (and spray, if in wet conditions at the
beginning of a race) due to wheelspin. If at all possible,
swing to the edge of the pavement immediately to avoid an
early accident if you can get off the line a lot sooner than
the car in front. Some circuits are set up so that there is
either wide pavement on the Pit Straight or an expanse of
pavement unofficially part of the main circuit itself (such
as the right side of the pavement at Monza); making use of
these areas can allow you to swing out wide to avoid
incidents, and also get you clear of traffic so that you can
REALLY slam on the accelerator and pass huge numbers of cars
before the initial corners of the circuit.
The new AI in F1 2001 produces some interesting challenges in
terms of action on the track. For example, I have several
times seen a group of cars four-wide on the Pit Straight at
Monza (coming off the Curva Parabolica) as they dice for
position. If you are coming up quickly upon a pack of slower
cars involved in a heated battle for position, this can be a
particularly challenging situation, especially if you are
yourself being pursued rather aggressively. Try to analyze
the movements of the cars in front of you and look for an
opening. However, remember that most CPU-controlled cars use
the exact same racing line, so once they fall into line for a
corner or a chicane, dart up past them and try to outbreak
them into the corner/chicane (IF you have confidence in your
brakes and reflexes).
Speed Assist (which automatically handles braking when
cornering) can be great when first learning a course.
However, to be truly effective in these races, Speed Assist
should be turned off. This will allow YOU to handle braking
(if wanted) while cornering, and will generally allow you to
have MUCH more speed in corners. This translates to more
difficult handling, as cars will always handle better when
going slow than when going fast (assuming the car set-up has
not been changed). This also means that passing while
cornering will be much easier - and much more dangerous. For
those who wish to shortcut corners, deactivating Speed Assist
will also help to keep your momentum as you drive through
sand and/or grass. If you REALLY want to achieve fast lap
times and generally be much more competitive in a race, then
Speed Assist simply MUST be deactivated.
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